Nov 11, 2011

Homemade Oreos

I know you are excited just seeing the title – who doesn’t love an Oreo? And these surprisingly taste much like the real thing – actually better since the cookie was just a bit softer than the real thing.

I made these for a bake sale at work where we were raising money for the Susan G. Komen foundation – in honor the several women at our office that have or are fighting breast cancer. That is why I chose to make the filling pink! But the fun thing about these cookies are that you can leave the filling white (like the original Oreo), red or green for Christmas, pastels for springtime, orange for Halloween, etc. etc.

In total we raised $400 from the bake sale – definitely an amazing fundraiser in a short period of time. I am so proud of my coworkers!

Enjoy these cookies – I know I’ll be making them again!

Ingredients

For the cookies:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup sugar

10 Tbsp. (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 large egg

For the filling:

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.

2. In a food processor, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Mix briefly to combine. Add the butter to the bowl and pulse briefly to incorporate. Add in the egg and mix until the dough forms a cohesive mass.

3. Scoop a scant tablespoon of batter onto the baking sheet. Continue scooping, spacing the dough balls a couple of inches apart. With moistened fingers, gently press down on the dough balls to flatten slightly.

4. Bake for 9-11 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Transfer the baking sheets to a wire rack and let cool completely until the cookies are firm and set. Be sure the cookies are completely cooled before filling.

5. To make the filling: combine the butter and shortening in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth. Add the confectioners’ sugar to the bowl and mix on low speed just until incorporated, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla extract.

6. To assemble the cookies, pair them up by size. Use a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip to pipe a swirl of filling onto the flat side of one cookie of each pair. Sandwich together with the remaining cookie and press down so that the filling reaches the edges.